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What about the moon of Dark Heaven Village?

The only thing I got from Peng Zuo was a puzzling clue. Setting aside the fact that there’s a Chi You in the odd land called Dark Heaven Village, does that mean there’s another moon present in that world? A swirl of questions danced in my mind, but by then, Peng Zuo had already vanished into thin air. Finally, as the spirit barrier lifted, Cheon Woo-jin returned to his original self, pressing his index finger hard against his temple as if his head ached.

“Is your business done? Now, please leave.”

“Please wait a moment.”

I sighed and handed him Baek Woong. Cheon Woo-jin received it with a blank expression, and I bowed my head and said, “I think I’ve made too many excessive requests of you. I wouldn’t call this an equivalent payment, but I hope it can ease your anger.”

This apology was sincere. I hadn’t even shared the obsidian with Cheon Woo-jin, yet I had often made requests beyond the bounds of mere comrades. There was this instinctive feeling that if my relationship with Cheon Woo-jin soured any further, I might face some pointless backlash or harm, coupled with the guilty feelings that led me to apologize. Then Cheon Woo-jin responded with a bewildered expression.

“What? You think handing me Baek Woong is going to earn your apology? Are you an idiot?”

“As I said, it’s a gesture of sincerity.”

Sometimes the heart of a person can be more significant than treasure.

“Honestly… this is just ridiculous. Do you not realize how precious this item is?”

Cheon Woo-jin chuckled incredulously and said, “Fine, I’ll accept it and let my feelings settle.”

“Thank you.”

I turned my back to Cheon Woo-jin, preparing to leave. Just then, he called out from behind, “Wait a moment!”

Upon turning back, he continued, “You can’t just accept a treasure barehanded. Let me give you some advice.”

“Advice?”

Cheon Woo-jin nodded and said, “First, I’ll share some tips for mastering techniques. Most techniques use these tricks during training. You may lack talent, but knowing these tricks will allow you to progress easily.”

I perked up at his words. “There are such handy tricks?”

“Of course, but the premise is that you follow them well.”

“Please share. I will listen carefully.”

“When mastering a technique, not only learn the practice method of that technique but also unify your spirit with the left and right training. When eliminating distracting thoughts, be deliberate and follow the rhythm of the Three Harmonies. Also, when meditating to refine your qi, it’s best to align the qi channels with the technique’s spirit communication.”

I pondered his words and then asked, “Are you saying I need to pierce the spirit channels like with the Eight Extraordinary Vessels?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm… I’ve never heard of such a training method. Spirits have no fixed form and wander like water or clouds. How can I refine qi in such a way…?”

I sighed. Perhaps it was no surprise since Cheon Woo-jin’s training method broke the mold of what I knew. After all, martial arts and sorcery practice differ, stemming from the fundamentally different natures of qi and spirit power. Qi sinks more clearly into the human body, making it easier to circulate alongside blood vessels, while spirit power is more nebulous than qi. Thus, neither Miho nor Mangnyang had ever mentioned this method when they taught me sorcery techniques.

Cheon Woo-jin then spoke, “As I said, this is merely a tip. Since you lack talent, it’ll be challenging to control spirit power anyway. Use this method as a baseline.”

“Hmmm.”

“Just like rebirth in martial artists, when the spirit power of the technique reaches its peak, the sorcerer also attains the law. That’s when the understanding occurs.”

That certainly made sense. The elusiveness of Cheon Woo-jin’s spirit suggested he was akin to a martial artist who reached the absolute realm. It would be foolish of me, who was barely at the level of a mid-tier sorcerer, to challenge the logic of his method. Cheon Woo-jin continued casually, “Also, if you have questions about treasures or spirit texts, ask now. I’ll answer.”

Suddenly inspired by his words, I retrieved the Fire Spirit and Fire Dragon Sword, holding one in each hand. Cheon Woo-jin startled for a moment as if he sensed the power emanating from both treasures, and I explained my current state to him.

“As you can see, I’m using the immense fire energy dormant in the Fire Spirit to revive the Fire Dragon Sword. I’d like to know if this method is correct and when the sword might revive.”

“Let’s take a look.”

Cheon Woo-jin muttered an incantation, gathering spirit power into his eyes. After some time, he said, “The divine spirit hidden within the Fire Dragon Sword is slowly waking up. It’s definitely an effective method. There’s nothing wrong with this way, so you can rest assured.”

“When will it wake up?”

“It should take about thirty-seven days.”

“That long…?”

“Long? According to your words, the Fire Dragon Sword had been drained of its essence for hundreds of years and was on the brink of breaking. If it revives, the ranking of treasures and divine swords in existence will be reshuffled. It’s actually a short period.”

That was true. Cheon Woo-jin continued, “The Fire Dragon Sword is a divine sword of supreme intensity imbued with the instincts of a legendary serpent. Once it is resurrected, it won’t be good for that Zhuge sorcerer or whatever, if he’s nearby. It will recognize him as an enemy immediately and burn him with divine flame.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

For the time being, I needed to keep the Fire Dragon Sword and Fire Spirit at the ready. I asked one last question. “As you know, Peng Zuo used the authority of the manager to close the search functionality of the National Seal. Is there a way to unlock it through sorcery?”

“As far as I know, there’s no such method. The National Seal itself is a supreme treasure created directly by the Three Sovereigns. How could a mere human sorcerer manipulate it? If there’s a way, you’d have to ask the creator directly to unlock it.”

“The creator…?”

“Shao Hao, the one who crafted it. You could ask him through an offering ceremony.”

At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin glared at me sharply. “Let me clarify; I will absolutely not help you. This will clear away your grudges and feelings.”

He wasn’t joking. It seemed that with the help of Cheon Woo-jin in this lifetime, performing another offering ceremony was quite impossible. Even if I convinced the Master Mangnyang to move Cheon Woo-jin, the instant the ceremony ended, he would surely try to kill me. Accepting the reality of these limitations, I raised my hands in surrender.

“Got it. I’ll look for another sorcerer.”

“That’d be wise. Safe travels.”

“Thanks, then.”

I departed from Cheon Woo-jin and returned to Jangryeong Valley. The Zhuge Clan was taken aback when they heard about the situation I had encountered with Peng Zuo.

“The moon of Dark Heaven Village…? So we have to pierce straight through the spider spirit guarding it and pass through the city of the secret god… Chi You must be hiding in a truly overwhelming site.”

“Do you know where the Dark Heaven Village moon is?”

“Ah, I do.”

Zhuge Sa let out a deep sigh.

“Damn it. That place is the most wicked, dark, and dangerous location in the Demon Realm Dark Heaven Village. Sorcerers regard it as ominous as the ruins of the sea. One could die ten times over using conventional means to get there.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Of course. Why do you think it’s dangerous? No sorcerer has ever managed to gather information about that place. It’s referred to as ‘the end of the world.’”

“……”

Is there such a place in Dark Heaven Village?!

I was again left with the realization that the task of finding Chi You, passed to me by Jeon Wook, was going to be much tougher than expected.

“Damn it… this is a headache.”

Zhuge Sa grimaced before glaring at me, “And why in the world would you foolishly give that precious Baek Woong to Cheon Woo-jin?”

“Ugh.”

So this topic was bound to come up.

I fumbled for words and said, “I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“The right thing? Ha! Regardless of whether you gave it to him or not, he’s not going to help us anymore. What does it matter?”

“……”

“Well, it’s not like there’s no gain, so let’s move on.”

Zhuge Sa narrowed his eyes at me but continued, “Still, we have made significant progress. Now we know we need to reach the moon of Dark Heaven Village, so we just need to dodge a few near-death scenarios.”

“Should I use the Golden Lamp?”

I held out the Golden Lamp. It was so convenient and powerful that most of my adventures wouldn’t have been possible without it. Plus, wasn’t its original purpose to bring the owner to the vicinity of Dark Heaven Village? I had used it for movement until now, but all I needed to do was to move to the location of Dark Heaven Village indicated by the lamp.

However, Zhuge Sa shook his head.

“No. That’s too dangerous. I think I mentioned this before, but it’s a magical tool designed with a ‘goal’ in mind. The previous owner was Abdul Alhazred, one of the most formidable sorcerers in history. He definitely isn’t planning to take you to Dark Heaven Village for any benevolent reasons.”

“Abdul Alhazred… Does that mean he’s from the land beyond the mountains?”

Heading west from the Central Plains leads to the Western Regions, but before reaching those regions, one encounters the Woodlands and Persia. The Woodlands, also known as the Barren Lands, marks an area where a kingdom of foreign tribes exists just outside the Central Plains, while Persia lies even further west, spanning the vast desert. I had heard that people from Persia often used such names while traveling, prompting me to ask back.

Zhuge Sa replied, “Sorcerers are mainly found in the Central Plains and the Seven Luminaries region, but demon sorcerers can be found everywhere. The darkness of the Old Ruler pervades everywhere, causing anyone to come into contact with it.”

“Hmmm.”

“Something doesn’t feel right. If I were Abdul, I would definitely not set a destination with good intentions. Following the purpose of that lamp will likely lead to your demise.”

“So what do I do? Without using the lamp, there’s no way to get to Dark Heaven Village.”

“There are two other methods.”

There are methods? Looking at Zhuge Sa, who held a smirk on his face, I felt hopeful.

“But it’ll probably lead to death in most cases.”

“What…?”

Zhuge Sa extended his index finger. “The first method is utilizing dream sorcery. They say you can descend seventy layers, pass the gatekeeper’s test, and then traverse back through 700 layers to reach the forest of Dark Heaven Village. This is the most common approach for sorcerers but the issue is that even sorcerers who have passed the gatekeeper’s test are few and far between in history.”

“Why?”

“That test assesses all wisdom, courage, and mental strength, making it an extremely challenging trial. Failing means the dream self is obliterated, leading to death. Moreover, even if one passes the test and reaches Dark Heaven Village, there’s no guarantee of safety. You will have to face the ancient magical beasts that reside in that forest and survive somehow.”

“Sounds troublesome…”

This didn’t sound like a good idea. Zhuge Sa raised his finger again.

“If not through dream sorcery, another method involves directly finding the dimensional coordinates of Dark Heaven Village and breaking into it through a dimension door. This way, you wouldn’t have to take any tests.”

“Then that method…”

Zhuge Sa grinned maniacally. “Hehe. Using this method means you’ll confront the Old Ruler, the lord of all spiders directly. Want to fight the Old Ruler?”

“……”

“That’s why I said Dark Heaven Village is off-limits. No human can go there, nor would there be any reason to go.”

I felt a sigh escape my lips. ‘Damn it… what should I do?’

I knew the Chi You was in the moon of Dark Heaven Village, but every method to reach Dark Heaven Village sounded like it required an extra ten lives, fraught with danger and horror. Whichever of the three methods I chose, I was likely throwing this life away. However, if I blindly postpone my journey to Dark Heaven Village, the ten-year deadline set by Jeon Wook would vanish in an instant, resulting in a failed mission!

It was a dilemma. While I pondered, Zhuge Sa spoke, “But don’t worry. We have the Nameless Ritual Book with us.”

With a swift movement, Zhuge Sa pulled out the Nameless Ritual Book from his possession. He said confidently, “I’ve been obsessively studying the Nameless Ritual Book during your absence. I don’t know how much knowledge it holds yet. By researching this Nameless Ritual Book, we might discover a safe method to reach the moon of Dark Heaven Village.”

“Whoa!”

This made sense. The Nameless Ritual Book was a supreme grimoire! So, there’s a high possibility it contains knowledge about Dark Heaven Village! Feeling a glimmer of hope, I clenched my fists as Zhuge Sa continued.

“So, I’ll need time to study the Nameless Ritual Book. For now, you should just tidy up and focus on training.”

“What should I do?”

“You shouldn’t need me to say it but there are plenty of things you can handle. If you’re worried about what to do, then it’s not my problem.”

Zhuge Sa shot me a teasing glance as I scratched my head.

“Fine.”

He was right. There was so much training and action to be done even outside of heading to Dark Heaven Village. My task was to choose wisely among those tasks and sufficiently sharpen myself at the moment.

I stepped back from Zhuge Sa and grabbed both the Fire Spirit and Fire Dragon Sword simultaneously. A tremendous fire energy surged through my body, constantly moving restlessly. I gazed intently at the two swords in my hands and muttered, “Thirty-seven days, huh… I need to figure out how to wield these weapons in that time.”

The method of using both blades. As far as I knew, there were two ways to achieve that. I had to discover those methods to attain supreme power!

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